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Abbott's biggest achievement as Minister for Women

Tony Abbott tells Lisa Wilkinson the carbon tax repeal is his biggest achievement as the Minister for Women.

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Just in case you missed it, seeing as you were probably stuck in your home's dungeon ironing Christmas sweaters all day, a quick recap: during an interview on The Today Show yesterday morning, host Lisa Wilkinson asked the PM what he considered his top achievement as Minister for Women so far.

"Well, you know, it is very important to do the right thing by families and households," Abbott said. "As many of us know, women are particularly focused on the household budget and the repeal of the carbon tax means a $550 a year benefit for the average family."

Well, the internet has responded accordingly. Overnight, the hashtags '#ThanksTony' and '#PutYouIronsOut' were trending, as people took to Twitter to give Abbott's statement the sound mockery it deserved.

The PM's appearance on the show was specifically aimed at promoting his new cabinet reshuffle, which this week upped its female representation to, uh, two, with the addition of NSW MP Sussan Ley as Minister for Health.

"He might as well have said that by abolishing the carbon price he's been able to give women more money to buy a new iron and stay at home and do the ironing more often," Greens leader Christine Milne said in response to Abbott's statement, adding that the PM has been "a disaster" as Minister for Women.

"Women in society is what it's all about, not just women in the household. The fact of the matter is, he should have put a woman into that portfolio," said Milne. "It's almost as if he's in that portfolio to make sure there are no strides ahead for women in Australia."